Embracing Imperfect

Helping Moms Raise Kids With Special Needs

by: Gina

Must Have Tech for Travel with Kids

Filed Under: family travel, featured, tech & play Tagged With: ,

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This is going to be a great summer! We’re vacationing earlier than usual this year, due it being an incredibly stressful year, with LOTS of changes on the horizon for the kids. And, we will be driving. In light of that, we have to determine must have tech for travel with kids!

must have tech for travel with kids

This year is unique in that we are going to let the kids go swimming respite, then pack ’em up in the car and drive down to Virginia. We’ve found a Mellow Mushroom to eat just before we arrive and we’ll be packing up Epsom salt to detox all that nasty chlorine. Other than that, it’ll be Williamsburg, Busch Gardens, and a relaxing swim vacation!

I’m reposting this blog from 2014 because I’m going to need this for those car trips!

Mom and Dad’s Phones

Of course, you’ll need these especially if you don’t have GPS (or your car breaks down), to plot out destinations, bathrooms, and the nearest gluten-free restaurants. Make sure you have the app, Find Me GF App. It was a hit in locating an AWESOME GF burger joint that was affordable in Manhattan and tracking down last minute food for hungry kiddos after all that traveling. I love this app and use it everywhere!  The key is to make sure the kids don’t get your phone while driving. They’ll suck down all your power and then you’ll be stuck if you need to make an emergency call, get lost or have to track down a bathroom. To solve that, make sure you bring…

Old Phones for the Kids

must have tech for travel

Assuming your kids don’t have activated phone of their own or you don’t want to bring them on vacation, this is an ideal solution. If you have old phones lying around that no one will take off your hands, that’s perfect. Download games you can play offline, load up movies or music, and make sure the camera function is intact in case you have a junior photographer in your back seat. DO NOT let the kids take your phone because you’ll need them to navigate.

iPad and/or Portable Gaming System

Yea, we bring these – sometimes. The iPad is excellent to help a nonverbal child with an app like ProLoQuo2Go talk through their needs or to set up a vacation reward system. It’s also good for loading up some movies on a larger yet still portable screen, or if mom needs to get some blogging work done. (In that case, bring your Mac keyboard along too, if you have one). Or try with a highly interactive app. Avoid the music ones or you may want to shoot yourself by the time you get there. Load up a movie too (NOT Chipmunks!)

Easy Low Tech

must have tech for travel with kids

Sometimes kids DO get tired of games and movies. Obviously, you don’t want to bring a bagful of crafts, pens, or games with parts. (For me, portable games are just an invitation to lose pieces away from home!) Self-contained toys are ideal for car and plane trips. like the Ohio Art Pocket Doodle Sketch for under $10, so your kids can draw without mess or fuss or extra pieces.

Spare Car Charger

And whatever you do, do NOT forget a spare charger – or charging it on the way! If you have one that plugs into your lighter, all the better. Ours is dual recharger – pretty sweet!

 

 

Enjoy your vacation and remember to relax on the way… 🙂

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Download my book full of detailed worksheets to help you plan for your child!

Comments

  4. Susan P says

    Same here with old phones! We gave my iPhone 4 to my youngest daughter when the older kids bought iPods with their Christmas money. She loves it. But I found out the hard way I should have removed all my contacts first. She texted a couple of them some rather odd messages.

  8. natosha says

    I think for kids I would need to have a handheld game system or a book of puzzles to keep the kids entertained.

  12. Dawn Hecke says

    A must have for travelling with kids is snacks,pens,paper,crayons,tablets and earphones.

  16. Samantha Daleo says

    No matter how old they get, a good ol’ sketch pad and pencils are both of my kids favorite traveling go-to’s.

  19. wendi watson says

    i have to have the iPads and their chargers so there is something for them to do instead of argue

  22. denice p says

    I’ve always found word search puzzles to be pretty good when traveling with kids. I like it because sometimes it takes them a good while to find the word that they are looking for.

  28. Valerie Taylor Mabrey says

    We have to have books and toys to keep them happy. We also have an overnight bag so we do not have to unpack everything just for a one night stay.
    vmkids3 at msn dot com

  34. Brandon Culley says

    Definitely some tech such as ipad, or handheld gaming system, some munchies and a drink! maybe a movie 🙂

  36. Linda G. says

    I always keep books in the car for the grandkids, they love to read and makes the travel time from their house to ours go more quickly!

  46. Jennifer O says

    When the kids have electronics to keep them distracted you can go on longer trips. Recently went all the way from NY to the Florida keys.

  48. laurakc181 says

    We always create a travel box with all their favorite snacks and drinks and that way we don’t have to stop for snacks along the way.

  51. Julie says

    All my three year old needs for a 10 hour drive is a couple snacks, bottle of water or juice and a few books to read. She also loves to play the iPad on our break from driving and we sing a lot in the car and just play games.

  55. Shannon says

    I would say snacks and games. I don’t have kids but I would have to say these are must haves.

  58. Sarah Johnson says

    We do the old phone thing as well we call them the “game phones” We also always have coloring materials as well.

  59. Merry says

    A toy or snack kept in reserve. It’s so helpful to have something to pull out in the case of a boredom emergency!

  72. danielle Marie says

    you should prepare for everything. there is no such thing as being too prepared. snacks, games, changes of clothes etc.

  75. Mrs. Sarah Coller says

    Must haves for travel with kids: something for them to write or draw with (pencils—not pens!), something for them to snack on (NO HOT DOGS…that can get gross.), something for them to listen to (my choice!!).

  79. Karen Drake says

    Our must haves for traveling with the kids are handheld games like Gameboy, and snacks.

  80. Reichal Winn says

    Our kids are always either listening to mp3 players or playing on our phones when we are in the car.

  84. Jill Myrick says

    When we travel I pack each of my kids a small backpack that might contain a favorite blankie, a book, a game, snacks, drink boxes etc. They love having their favorite items and I love how much more peaceful it makes traveling.

    jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com

  85. amanda whitley says

    my must haves are a portable dvd player or tablet to have the kids watch movies on and lots of snacks

  92. Tawny says

    I always need to have snacks and portable gaming systems. I always make sure I have a car charger available for what the kids may need.

  94. Paula Hafner says

    We bring snacks, drinks, a light blanket, dvd player, and dvds. We also bring some small toys.

  100. Annmarie W. says

    We don’t travel without my son’s DS and water or something else to drink. He usually has pokemon cards with him, too.

  102. lissa crane says

    A dvd player so they can watch movies! A gaming device or my phone for games is a great idea too!

  105. Jackie Williams says

    We never leave home without our phones, which are really mini couputers now a days! Keeps everyone occupied for hours 🙂

  120. Sue Hull says

    Coloring book,crayons,snacks and movies. 2 sets of ear phone if you have 2 dvd players. Thank you for great giveaway 🙂

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